UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team (3-0) begins a two-game homestand at the Bryce Jordan Center with a 6:30 p.m. tipoff vs. Bucknell (2-2) on Tuesday, Nov. 19. The matchup is part of the NIT Season Tip-Off and will be broadcast on BTN.
The 103-game series between the two schools stretches back to 1897 as Bucknell was the first-ever opponent for "State College" in its first season of varsity basketball.
The Nittany Lions enter the week with nine votes in the latest USA Today basketball coaches poll. This is the earliest Penn State has received votes in either poll.
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Penn State freshmen receive free admission by showing their ID at Gate A of the BJC
DIGITAL PROGRAM
LIVE STATS: Bucknell at Penn State
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ROSTER: Penn State | Bucknell
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Bucknell
STATS: Penn State | Bucknell
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Bucknell
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State | Bucknell
BUCKNELL
Coach: Nathan Davis (Randolph-Macon, 1997)
Record at Bucknell: 91-47 (Fifth season)
Career Record: 232-86 (11th season)
2019-20 Record: 2-2, 0-0 Patriot League
Top Scorers
#11 Avi Toomer, Sr., G – 20.0 ppg
#12 John Meeks, Jr., F – 15.3 ppg
Top Rebounder
#00 Paul Newman, Jr., C – 8.5 rpg
Top Assists Leader
#4 Jimmy Sotos, Jr., G – 3.3 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 130-140 (9th season)
Career Record: 172-168 (11th season)
2018-19 Record: 3-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Top Scorer
#0 Myreon Jones, So., G – 15.0 ppg
Top Rebounder
#24 Mike Watkins, Sr., F – 9.0 rpg
Assists Leaders
#0 Myreon Jones, So., G – 3.7 apg
#2 Myles Dread, So., G – 3.7 apg
#5 Jamari Wheeler, Jr., G – 3.7 apg
STARTING 5
Penn State received nine votes in the Nov. 18 USA Today basketball coaches poll. This is the earliest the Nittany Lions have received votes in either poll.
For only the fourth time in program history, Penn State has opened the season with three-straight games with 80+ points.
The Nittany Lions have won 25 of their last 26 games (.962) when holding their opponent to a field goal percentage below 40 percent. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, the winning percentage is 91.7 (44-4).
Penn State started 2019-20 where it left off – at the top of the Big Ten's steals chart with 11.3 per game. Junior guard Jamari Wheeler holds the top individual spot with 11 total and 3.7 per game.
Sophomore guard Myreon Jones scored 14 of Penn State's 16 points in the first 5:08 of the Georgetown game en route to a game-high 21.
SERIES VS. BUCKNELL
Bucknell and "State College" played the first basketball game in Penn State history in 1897 – and Bucknell was also the second opponent for Penn State's two-game season. The two teams have played 103 times total, but only eight times in this century.
Series streak: Penn State, W2
Overall series: Penn State 78-25 (H: 59-7)
Last game: at University Park, Pa.
Penn State 62, Bucknell 58, 11/28/2015
Chambers vs. Bucknell: 4-2 (PSU 3-1, BU 1-1)
THREE-POINTERS LIFT NITTANY LIONS OVER GEORGETOWN
The Nittany Lions improved to 3-0 with an 81-66 win at Georgetown Thursday in their 2019 Gavitt Tipff Games matchup. Thirteen 3-pointers helped put Penn State ahead, then extend the lead with nine combined from sophomore guards Myreon Jones, with career-best five, and four by Myles Dread. Myreon Jones was the game's leading scorer with a career-best 21 points.
Myreon Jones scored 14 of Penn State's 16 points in the first 5:08 for a 16-5 lead. The margin increased to 18 points at 25-7 as sophomore guard Izaiah Brockington made three-straight field goals from close range and Dread drilled a 3-pointer off a perfect Jamari Wheeler pass.
Georgetown got the margin down to single-digits after the under-eight-minute timeout in the first half. The Hoyas made another run out of halftime, coming within five points after an Omer Yurtseven basket and free throw.
Penn State responded to the runs each time and never trailed.
Dread connected on his four triples, two in each half, and had 14 points as well as four assists on the night. Dread's only two-point basket of the night, a layup five minutes into the second half, put Penn State up by double digits for the rest of the night.
Senior forward Lamar Stevens scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half and had a team-best nine rebounds. He also had a career-best four steals, three assists and a block that moved him into Penn State's career top-10 list with 91.
Penn State had 15 steals and scored 22 points off 21 GU miscues.
Georgetown center Omer Yurtseven led the Hoyas with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while James Akinjo had 13 points. Penn State held Georgetown to 19 points below its season average.
BY THE NUMBERS
1
Penn State is ranked first in the Big Ten with 11.3 steals per game and 34 total steals.
3
Number of rebounds needed by senior forward Mike Watkins to reach 755 for his career and move into Penn State's all-time top five.
12.0
With an average of 12.0 treys made per game, Penn State owns a No. 6 national ranking in that statistic.
14
Sophomore guard Myreon Jones scored 14 of the Nittany Lions' first 16 points in the win at Georgetown. He finished with a game- and career-high 21.
19
Number of rebounds needed by Lamar Stevens to reach career number 700.
With 1,500 career points, when he reaches 700 career rebounds,
Stevens would become only the fourth Nittany Lion to possess
those career numbers.
19.33
Average turnovers forced by Penn State, good for first
in the Big Ten and No. 34 nationally.
33
Penn State's most recent kenpom.com rating.
"HOME" COMING AT THE PALESTRA
Six Nittany Lions have ties to Philadelphia, as does coach Patrick Chambers, the all-time assists leader for Herb Magee at Philadelphia University. Penn State will play host to Iowa on Jan. 4, 2020, at The Palestra for a "home" game in Philadelphia. Tickets for this game are available for purchase at gopsusports.com/mbbphilly.
